{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,24]],"date-time":"2026-07-24T20:22:19Z","timestamp":1784924539213,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2014,4,1]],"date-time":"2014-04-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1396310400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["The International Journal of Robotics Research"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2014,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>In this paper we introduce the Pisa\/IIT SoftHand, a novel robot hand prototype designed with the purpose of being robust and easy to control as an industrial gripper, while exhibiting high grasping versatility and an aspect similar to that of the human hand. In the paper we briefly review the main theoretical tools used to enable such simplification, i.e. the neuroscience-based notion of soft synergies. A discussion of several possible actuation schemes shows that a straightforward implementation of the soft synergy idea in an effective design is not trivial. The approach proposed in this paper, called adaptive synergy, rests on ideas coming from underactuated hand design. A synthesis method to realize a desired set of soft synergies through the principled design of adaptive synergy is discussed. This approach leads to the design of hands accommodating in principle an arbitrary number of soft synergies, as demonstrated in grasping and manipulation simulations and experiments with a prototype. As a particular instance of application of the synthesis method of adaptive synergies, the Pisa\/IIT SoftHand is described in detail. The hand has 19 joints, but only uses 1 actuator to activate its adaptive synergy. Of particular relevance in its design is the very soft and safe, yet powerful and extremely robust structure, obtained through the use of innovative articulations and ligaments replacing conventional joint design. The design and implementation of the prototype hand are shown and its effectiveness demonstrated through grasping experiments, reported also in multimedia extension.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/0278364913518998","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2014,4,30]],"date-time":"2014-04-30T11:53:04Z","timestamp":1398858784000},"page":"768-782","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":622,"title":["Adaptive synergies for the design and control of the Pisa\/IIT SoftHand"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"33","author":[{"given":"M.G.","family":"Catalano","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Advanced Robotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"G.","family":"Grioli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Advanced Robotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"E.","family":"Farnioli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Advanced Robotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy"},{"name":"Centro di Ricerca \u201cE. Piaggio\u201d, Universit\u00e0 di Pisa, Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"A.","family":"Serio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Advanced Robotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"C.","family":"Piazza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro di Ricerca \u201cE. Piaggio\u201d, Universit\u00e0 di Pisa, Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"A.","family":"Bicchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Advanced Robotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy"},{"name":"Centro di Ricerca \u201cE. Piaggio\u201d, Universit\u00e0 di Pisa, Pisa, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2014,4,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0921-8890(94)90055-8"},{"key":"bibr2-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1098\/rstb.2011.0152"},{"key":"bibr3-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-540-77459-4"},{"key":"bibr4-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/IROS.2007.4399547"},{"key":"bibr5-0278364913518998","unstructured":"Cadman R (1970) Rolamite\u2014Geometry and force analysis. Technical report, Sandia Laboratories."},{"key":"bibr6-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mechmachtheory.2005.01.011"},{"key":"bibr7-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1023\/B:AURO.0000016863.48502.98"},{"key":"bibr8-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00422-013-0548-4"},{"key":"bibr9-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/HUMANOIDS.2012.6651492"},{"key":"bibr10-0278364913518998","first-page":"3270","volume-title":"Proceedings of the robotics: science and systems 2007 workshop\u2014Sensing and adapting to the real world","author":"Ciocarlie M","year":"2007"},{"key":"bibr11-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0278364909360852"},{"issue":"5","key":"bibr12-0278364913518998","first-page":"591","volume":"60","author":"Easton T","year":"1972","journal-title":"American Scientist"},{"key":"bibr13-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/IROS.2011.6094671"},{"key":"bibr14-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10514-011-9244-1"},{"key":"bibr15-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/ICRA.2012.6224959"},{"key":"bibr16-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/ROBOT.2008.4543295"},{"key":"bibr17-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/ICRA.2011.5980371"},{"key":"bibr18-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/IROS.2012.6385881"},{"key":"bibr19-0278364913518998","unstructured":"Hillberry B, Hall AJr (1976) Rolling contact joint. US Patent 3,932,045."},{"key":"bibr20-0278364913518998","first-page":"319","volume-title":"Proceedings of 2nd ICAR","author":"Hirose S","year":"1985"},{"key":"bibr21-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0094-114X(78)90059-9"},{"key":"bibr22-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1115\/DETC2004-57264"},{"issue":"3","key":"bibr23-0278364913518998","first-page":"1","volume":"4","author":"Laliberte T","year":"2002","journal-title":"Machine Intelligence and Robotic Control"},{"key":"bibr24-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0094-114X(97)00020-7"},{"key":"bibr25-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1155\/NP.2005.119"},{"key":"bibr26-0278364913518998","volume-title":"A Mathematical Introduction to Robotic Manipulation","author":"Murray R","year":"1994"},{"key":"bibr27-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.15607\/RSS.2010.VI.007"},{"key":"bibr28-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1115\/1.3254904"},{"key":"bibr29-0278364913518998","unstructured":"Ruoff C (1985) Rolling contact robot joint. US Patent 4,558,911."},{"key":"bibr30-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fncom.2013.00023"},{"key":"bibr31-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.18-23-10105.1998"},{"key":"bibr32-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/TAC.1962.1105456"},{"key":"bibr33-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1152\/jn.01265.2003"},{"key":"bibr34-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/IROS.2006.282170"},{"key":"bibr35-0278364913518998","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/CoASE.2012.6386364"}],"container-title":["The International Journal of Robotics Research"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0278364913518998","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/0278364913518998","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0278364913518998","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T10:18:29Z","timestamp":1777457909000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0278364913518998"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2014,4]]},"references-count":35,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2014,4]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/0278364913518998"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0278364913518998","relation":{},"ISSN":["0278-3649","1741-3176"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0278-3649","type":"print"},{"value":"1741-3176","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2014,4]]}}}